LIBRARY  OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

AT  URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 


F453X 

no.  \-Z\ 


The  person  charging  this  material  is  re- 
sponsible for  its  return  to  the  library  from 
which  it  was  withdrawn  on  or  before  the 
Latest  Date  stamped  below. 

Theft,    mutilation,    and    underlining    of    books    are    reasons 
for    disciplinary    action    and    may    result    in    dismissal    from 
the  University. 
To  renew  call  Telephone  Center,  333-8400 

UNIVERSITY    OF    ILLINOIS    LIBRARY    AT    URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 


0EC18 
DEC  18 


1936 


ir>oc 


JUL 1  9 1988 

APR  17  »» 
M  q  3  m 

JUN0 1  t<92 


L161— O-1096 


The 

Japanese  New  Year's  Festival, 

Games  and  Pastimes 


BY 


HELEN  C.  GUNSAULUS 
Assistant  Curator  of  Japanese  Ethnology 


FIELD  MUSEUM  OF  NATURAL  HISTORY 

CHICAGO 

1923 


Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 

Department  of  Anthropology 

Chicago,  1923 
Leaflet  Number  11 

The  Japanese  New  Year's  Festival, 
Games  and  Pastimes 

The  Japanese  prints  with  which  we  are  most 
familiar  in  this  country  are  those  known  as  nishikiye, 
literally  "brocade  picture."  Generally  speaking,  they 
are  portraits  of  actors  and  famous  beauties  or  land- 
scapes and  nature  studies.  There  are,  however,  other 
woodcuts  known  as  surimono,  "things  printed,"  whose 
subjects  are  characters  known  in  history  and  folk- 
lore, household  gods,  incidents  in  the  daily  life  of  the 
people  and  the  celebration  of  certain  festivals,  par- 
ticularly that  of  the  New  Year.  From  a  careful  study 
of  these  prints  we  may  become  acquainted  with  many 
of  the  most  distinctive  customs  of  Japan. 

Though  produced  by  the  same  process  as  that 
used  for  the  nishikiye,  surimono  may  be  easily  dis- 
tinguished from  the  former.  In  addition  to  the  series 
of  wood  blocks  used  to  print  the  outline  and  colors  of 
the  design,  surimono  are  often  enriched  by  the  appli- 
cation of  metal  dusts  and  embossing.  The  decorative 
motive  is  usually  interpreted  or  accompanied  by  a 
poem  or  series  of  poems  written  in  the  picture.  These 
prints  were  not  made  for  sale  but  were  exchanged  as 
gifts  among  poets  and  artists  on  certain  occasions, 
such  as  feasts,  birthdays,  theatrical  or  literary  meet- 
ings, and  especially  as  cards  of  greeting  presented  at 
the  opening  of  the  New  Year.    The  surimono  in  the 

[21] 


2  Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 

collection  in  Field  Museum  of  Natural  History  were 
selected  primarily  with  the  view  of  illustrating  the 
customs  and  mode  of  living  of  the  people  of  Japan 
rather  than  of  assembling  together  pictures  which 
would  be  enjoyed  for  their  aesthetic  appeal.  While 
these  prints  are  of  an  artistic  nature,  they  are  valuable 
to  an  institution  of  this  kind  as  approaches  to  the 
study  of  the  ethnology  of  Japan.  The  Museum  is  in 
possession  of  a  collection  of  three  hundred  and  sixty 
prints  which  has  been  divided  into  four  groups,  in  the 
first  of  which  the  New  Year's  festival  and  certain 
games  and  pastimes  are  pictured  to  a  considerable  de- 
gree. This  selection  is  hung  each  year  in  Gunsaulus 
Hall  (Room  30,  Second  Floor)  from  January  1st  to 
April  1st,  when  it  is  succeeded  by  another  group. 

THE  NEW  YEAR'S  FESTIVAL 

Of  the  many  festivals  enjoyed  in  Japan,  none  is 
attended  with  more  ceremony  than  that  which  opens 
with  the  New  Year  and  is  celebrated  with  more  or  less 
formality  for  fourteen  days.  It  was  customary  in  the 
old  days  to  celebrate  the  New  Year  at  the  time  when 
the  plum  first  blossomed  and  when  winter  began  to 
soften  into  spring,  somewhere  between  the  middle  of 
January  and  the  middle  of  February.  Since  the 
adoption  of  the  Gregorian  calendar,  this  festival 
opens  on  January  1st,  and  is  attended  by  many  of  the 
interesting  ceremonies  that  were  practised  in  former 
times.  On  the  thirteenth  day  of  the  preceding  month, 
a  special  stew  (okotojiru)  is  made  from  red  beans, 
potatoes,  mushrooms,  sliced  fish  and  a  root  (kon- 
nyaku) .  About  this  time  a  cleaning  of  the  house  takes 
place.  It  is  partly  ceremonial  and  partly  practical, 
and  is  known  as  "soot-sweeping"  (susu-haraki) . 
Servants  are  presented  with  gifts  of  money  and  a 
short  holiday. 

[22] 


The  Japanese  New  Year's  Festival  3 

According  to  the  lunar  calendar,  the  New  Year's 
celebration  was  opened  by  the  ceremony  known  as 
oniyarai,  "demon-driving."  This  occurred  at  Setsu 
bun,  the  period  when  winter  passed  into  spring,  and 
to-day  it  is  generally  practised  at  that  time  and  is 
quite  independent  of  the  New  Year's  festival.  In 
some  sections  of  the  country,  however,  it  has  been 
moved  forward  to  New  Year's  eve,  December  31st. 
As  may  be  seen  in  the  first  illustration,  this  ceremony 
consists  of  the  scattering  of  parched  beans  in  four 
directions  in  the  house,  crying  at  the  same  time,  "Out 
with  the  devils,  in  with  the  good  luck."  Though 
sometimes  performed  by  a  professional  who  goes  from 
door  to  door,  this  office  is  generally  carried  on  by  the 
head  of  the  family.  The  custom  may  be  traced  back 
to  ancient  days  when  the  demons  expelled  personified 
the  wintry  influences  and  the  diseases  attendant  on 
them.  It  is  still  customary  in  some  regions  to  gather 
up  beans  equal  in  number  to  the  age  plus  one,  and 
wrap  them  with  a  coin  in  a  paper  which  has  been 
previously  rubbed  over  the  body,  to  transfer  ill  luck. 
This  package  is  then  flung  away  at  a  cross-roads,  with 
the  idea  that  thereby  ill  luck  is  gotten  rid  of.  Again 
in  other  places  some  of  the  beans  are  saved  and  eaten 
at  the  time  of  the  first  thunder. 

In  Fig.  2  other  interesting  steps  in  the  celebration 
may  be  studied.  Certain  preparations  for  the  demon- 
expelling  ceremony  are  being  made.  A  woman  who 
stands  near  a  stove  is  parching  the  beans  in  a  flat  pan. 
At  her  feet  the  box  for  the  beans  rests  upon  a  low 
stand  of  the  form  known  as  sambo,  that  used  as  the 
support  for  all  ceremonial  arrangements  on  festive 
occasions.  It  is  made  of  cypress  wood ;  in  this  case  it 
is  lacquered  red  but  when  holding  offerings  for  the 
gods,  it  is  left  unstained.  It  will  be  noticed  that  there 
is  a  charm  stuck  in  at  the  upper  corner  of  the  open 

[23] 


4  Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 

door  in  this  picture.  It  is  composed  of  a  branch  of 
holly  on  which  is  impaled  the  head  of  a  sardine.  This 
charm,  which  is  always  placed  in  the  lintel  after  the 
demons  have  been  driven  out,  is  said  to  be  repellent 
to  evil  influences  and  the  prickly  holly  has  the  prop- 
erty of  keeping  demons  from  reentering  the  house. 

Immediately  over  the  woman's  head  hangs  one 
of  the  most  conspicuous  objects  associated  with 
the  New  Year's  festival.  It  is  the  straw  rope  (shi- 
menawa)  which  is  stretched  before  the  entrance  at 
the  front  of  the  house,  to  remain  during  all  the  days 
of  the  celebration,  and  keep  out  all  evil  spirits. 
Smaller  straw  ropes  are  placed  over  inner  doorways 
and  before  the  household  shrine  or  god -shelf  (kami- 
dana) .  They  are  also  to  be  seen  on  the  posts  of  cer- 
tain bridges,  particularly  the  Gojobashi  in  Kyoto.  The 
shimenawa  is  always  made  of  straw  twisted  to  the 
left,  the  pure  or  fortunate  side,  with  pendant  straws 
at  regular  intervals  but  of  differing  numbers  in  the 
order  three,  five,  seven,  along  the  whole  length  of  the 
strand.  Alternating  with  these  pendants  are  leaves 
of  the  fern,  urajiro.  Since  the  fern-fronds  spring  in 
pairs  from  the  stem,  this  plant  is  symbolic  of  happy 
married  life  and  increase.  The  lanciform  leaves  at- 
tached to  the  straw  rope  in  this  picture,  are  those  of 
a  laurel-like  shrub  called  yuzuri.  This  plant  has  been 
adopted  as  the  symbol  of  a  long  united  family  because 
the  old  leaves  cling  to  the  branch  after  the  young  ones 
have  appeared.  Other  objects  with  specific  meanings 
are  often  attached  to  the  rope,  the  most  common  being 
paper  cuttings  (gohei)  which  represent  the  offerings 
of  cloth  made  to  the  gods  in  ancient  times.  Occasion- 
ally tied  to  the  rope  are  little  bundles  of  charcoal 
(sumi)  which,  because  of  its  changeless  color,  sym- 
bolizes changelessness. 

The  origin  of  the  use  of  shimenawa  on  New 
Year's  day  may  be  traced  back  to  mythological  times 

[24] 


CD  q 

C3  I 

?  > 

< 


r 


4S   *r- 


o 

z 

UJ 

oe 

uj  _• 

u  u 

_  * 

<  * 

or  O 

IS 


lilt    Lib.. 

OF  Hit 
UVltEBmrOFlUWS 


The  Japanese  New  Year's  Festival  5 

when  the  Sun  Goddess,  Amaterasu,  was  tempted  forth 
from  the  cave  into  which,  through  fear  of  her  brother, 
she  had  retired.  In  order  to  entice  her  from  her  hid- 
ing place,  all  the  gods  assembled  together  and,  bring- 
ing with  them  a  dancer,  made  such  a  commotion  that 
the  "heavenly  ancestor  of  the  emperor"  peeped  out. 
Her  face  was  reflected  in  a  mirror  which  they  had 
hung  upon  a  tree.  Never  before  had  she  gazed  upon 
her  own  beauty,  and  thinking  it  the  countenance  of  a 
rival,  she  stepped  forth.  She  was  prevented  from 
returning  by  a  fellow  deity  who  stretched  a  straw  rope 
across  the  opening  of  her  retreat.  During  her  re- 
tirement all  the  earth  had  been  in  darkness.  As  she 
emerged,  the  warm  light  of  the  sun  spread  over  the 
world  and  joy  returned  to  the  people. 

A  survival  of  the  belief  in  this  legend  is  to  be 
seen  to  this  day  at  a  certain  spot  on  the  shore  of 
Owari  Bay.  There,  at  Futami,  two  tower-like  rocks, 
known  at  the  "Husband  and  Wife  Rocks"  (Myoto- 
seki)  jut  out  of  the  waves  close  to  the  beach.  They  are 
joined  together  by  a  straw  rope  which  some  say  rep- 
resents the  bond  of  conjugal  union.  Others  see  in  it 
a  hindrance  against  the  entrance  of  the  Plague  God. 
However,  these  rocks  are  popularly  thought  to  rep- 
resent the  cave  into  which  the  Sun  Goddess  retired. 
On  this  account  many  people  journey  to  Myoto-seki 
before  dawn  on  New  Year's  day,  in  order  to  see  the 
first  rays  of  the  sun  emerge  on  the  horizon  between 
these  two  rocks,  thereby  witnessing  the  re-appearance 
of  the  Sun  Goddess  who  is  restrained  by  the  shi- 
menawa  from  re-entering  her  retreat. 

The  fern  leaves  and  yuzuriha,  attached  to  the 
straw  rope,  are  also  in  evidence  on  certain  ceremonial 
arrangements  which  are  to  be  seen  in  all  households 
on  New  Year's  day.  Two  such  objects  are  illustrated 
in  Fig.  3.    They  are  called  o  kazari  mono,  "honorably 

[25] 


6  Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 

decorated  thing."  Both  of  these  stands  of  sambo  form 
are  laid  with  paper  covers  on  which  are  placed  rice 
puddings  (mochi)  of  various  forms.  Those  on  the 
stand  at  the  left  are  large,  flat  and  round,  in  shape 
representing  the  mirror  into  which  Amaterasu  looked 
when  she  came  forth  from  the  cave.  Again  they 
symbolize  the  sun,  the  yo  or  male  principle,  and  the 
moon,  the  in  or  female  principle.  They  are  adorned 
with  two  fern  leaves,  a  folded  paper  arrangement 
(called  noshi)  and  a  bitter  orange  (daidai)  to  which 
are  attached  two  yuzuri  leaves.  The  Japanese  are 
devoted  to  puns  on  words.  Daidai-yuzuri,  in  pronun- 
ciation, is  identical  with  the  phrase  which  means 
"bequeath  from  generation  to  generation,"  hence  the 
adoption  of  the  bitter  orange  with  the  yuzuri  leaves 
in  the  New  Year's  decoration.  Dried  chestnut  kernels 
(kachiguri)  are  often  added  to  the  arrangement,  for 
the  name  suggests  the  happy  thought  of  victory 
(kachi).  The  second  stand  which  holds  rice  puddings 
is  surmounted  by  a  branch  of  pine,  one  of  the  well- 
known  emblems  of  longevity.  The  pine,  bamboo  and 
plum  are  arranged  together  for  this  occasion  and  are 
known  as  sho-chiku-bai.  At  the  base  of  the  pine  in 
Fig.  3  and  lying  on  fern  leaves,  is  a  lobster.  On  ac- 
count of  the  bent  back  and  long  tentacles  it  typifies 
a  life  so  prolonged  that  the  body  is  bent  over  and 
the  beard  reaches  to  the  waist.  A  lobster  or  cray- 
fish is  often  seen  hanging  to  the  center  of  the  straw 
rope. 

In  the  background  of  this  picture,  a  set  of  bows 
and  arrows  used  for  indoor  practice  may  be  seen 
leaning  against  a  basket  filled  with  square  rice  cakes. 
In  the  foreground,  a  woman  is  seated  before  a  chop- 
ping board  on  which  she  cuts  the  rice  cakes  into  small 
pieces.  Being  small  and  hard,  these  bits  are  known  as 
"hail  mochi."    In  some  parts  of  Japan,  it  is  customary 

[26] 


The  Japanese  New  Year's  Festival  7 

to  eat  them  on  the  third  day  of  the  festival.  A  com- 
panion who  holds  up  a  picture  of  the  Sun  Goddess, 
is  seated  near  a  lantern,  on  the  base  of  which  rests 
a  waterpot.  It  is  likely  that  this  vessel  contains  the 
"young  water"  (hatsumizu)  used  for  the  New  Year's 
tea  (fuku  cha,  "good  luck  tea").  Custom  decrees 
that  this  water  must  be  drawn  from  the  well  before 
the  sun's  rays  strike  it.  An  offering  of  rice  is  some- 
times first  thrown  into  the  well.  With  the  tea  is 
served  a  preserved  plum  (umeboshi),  which,  because 
of  its  wrinkled  skin,  suggests  the  hope  of  a  good  old 
age.  In  addition,  there  is  always  served  on  this  fes- 
tive day  a  fish  stew  known  as  zoni,  and  a  special  spiced 
brand  of  wine  called  toso.  In  some  households  the  first 
day  is  devoted  entirely  to  family  devotion.  Before 
the  ancestral  shrine  offerings  of  tea,  mirror  dump- 
lings, zoni  and  toso  are  placed,  and  then  each  living 
member  is  served  in  order  of  age  with  the  same 
viands.  With  the  same  respect  for  age,  New  Year's 
greetings  are  spoken  first  to  the  shrine,  then  to  grand- 
parents and  parents  and  so  on  down  to  the  smallest 
child. 

As  we  leave  the  house  and  go  outdoors,  we  see 
before  all  portals  the  "pine  of  the  doorway"  (kado 
matsu) — pine  and  bamboo  saplings  bound  together 
and  set  up  at  either  side  of  the  entrance.  The  pine 
on  the  left  has  a  red  trunk  and  is  of  the  species 
akamatsu  (pinus  densifiora)  ;  that  on  the  right  has 
a  black  trunk  and  is  the  kuro-matsu  (pinus  thun- 
bergii) .  Fancy  has  attributed  to  the  lighter  pine,  the 
feminine  sex,  while  the  black  pine  is  thought  to  rep- 
resent the  masculine.  Between  these  kadomatsu  is 
usually  hung  the  straw  rope  previously  described.  The 
two  plants,  the  pine  and  bamboo,  have  no  religious 
significance  but  are  emblematic  of  longevity  and  fidel- 
ity.   Long  life  and  vigor  are  naturally  suggested  by 

[27] 


8  Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 

the  old  and  gnarled  evergreens;  the  reason  why  the 
bamboo  should  typify  fidelity  is  less  obvious.  It  is 
again  a  case  of  a  similar  pronunciation  of  two  Chinese 
characters :  setsu  meaning  fidelity  and  setsu  denoting 
the  node  of  the  bamboo.  A  kado-matsu  is  pictured 
in  the  fourth  illustration  where  in  the  foreground  two 
boys,  bound  together  with  a  rope  are  testing  their 
strength.  This  common  pastime  for  boys  is  called 
kubi  hiki.  A  third  child,  acting  as  umpire,  holds  in 
his  hand  a  kite  in  the  shape  of  a  bird. 

The  streets  during  the  New  Year's  festival  are 
veritable  playgrounds;  stilt  walking,  rope  pulling  and 
jumping,  top  spinning  and  ball  playing  are  all  in- 
dulged in.  Kite-flying  is  perhaps  the  most  conspicuous 
sport,  for  kites  of  many  shapes  and  sizes  are  sent  up 
by  all  lads  on  these  days.  In  Japan  kite-flying  is  not 
only  more  picturesque  than  with  us,  on  account  of  the 
use  of  such  fantastic  forms  as  double  fans,  birds, 
butterflies,  cuttlefish  or  huge  portraits  of  heroes  in 
brilliant  colors  and  unusual  proportions,  but  it  is  also 
apt  to  be  a  very  exciting  sport.  Occasionally  oppo- 
nents try  to  capture  an  enemy's  kite.  Competitive 
kite-flying  is  accomplished  by  covering  the  first  ten  or 
twenty  feet  of  the  kite  string  with  fish  glue  or  rice 
paste,  and  then  dipping  it  into  pounded  glass  or  por- 
celain. On  hardening,  this  portion  of  the  string  be- 
comes a  series  of  tiny  blades  which  when  crossed  with 
another  string  at  high  tension  can  soon  saw  away  the 
kite  of  the  adversaiy.  It  is  also  customary  to  attach 
a  strip  of  whale  bone  or  a  bow  of  bamboo  to  the  large 
kites,  so  that  on  ascending  a  loud  humming  is  pro- 
duced which  adds  to  the  excitement  of  the  flight.  Only 
boys  and  men  fly  kites  in  Japan. 

The  girls,  dressed  in  their  best  costumes,  are  pic- 
turesque as  they  play  with  a  hand  ball  and  at  battle- 
dore and  shuttlecock.    The  balls  are  made  of  paper  and 

[28] 


2§ 


2  O 


flffl 


IK  UBBlM 

£7  TIE 


The  Japanese  New  Year's  Festival  9 

wadding  wound  with  silk  of  different  colors.  The 
battle  boards  are  of  a  white  wood  called  kiri  and  are 
often  elaborate  affairs,  adorned  on  one  side  with  the 
portrait  of  a  hero  made  of  colored  silks.  The  shuttle- 
cock is  composed  of  the  seed  of  the  soapberry,  to 
which  bright  feathers  are  attached.  On  a  surimono 
in  this  exhibition  two  girls  are  at  play  upon  a  red  mat 
spread  beneath  the  blossoming  plum  tree.  To  one  of 
the  branches  is  clinging  a  nightingale,  the  bird  which 
heralds  the  approach  of  spring.  All  of  the  poems  on 
this  surimono  treat  of  the  New  Year  and  the  night- 
ingale's song.  One,  literally  translated,  reads, 
"Spring's  first  wind  melting  the  snow,  let  laugh  the 
plum,  let  cry  the  nightingale."  Another  rendered  in 
English  is  as  follows:  "Like  the  comical  manner  of 
a  bouncing  ball,  the  nightingale's  song  rolls  (like  a 
ball)  on  the  plum  branch." 

Young  maidens  carrying  flat  bamboo  baskets 
make  excursions  into  the  country  to  gather  the  seven 
spring  grasses  (nanakusa).  These  greens,  the  water 
drop-wort,  shepherd's  purse,  radish,  celery,  dead- 
nettle,  turnip  and  rock-cress,  are  the  components 
which  are  needed  for  the  celebration  of  the  first  of 
the  five  festivals  known  as  Go-sekku.  This  one  occurs 
on  the  seventh  day  of  the  first  month. 

While  the  young  people  enjoy  these  pastimes  out 
of  doors,  within  the  house  the  older  members  of  the 
family  indulge  in  the  writing  of  a  New  Year's  poem 
or  in  playing  one  of  the  games  described  in  the  next 
section  of  this  leaflet.  The  writing  of  poems  at  this 
auspicious  time  is  almost  universal,  indeed,  the  com- 
posing of  poetry  and  the  mastery  of  caligraphy  are 
considered  as  necessary  accomplishments  for  the  cul- 
tured person.  The  most  common  form  of  New  Year's 
poem  is  that  known  as  tanka.  It  is  a  poem  of  five 
lines,  the  first  and  third  of  which  contain  five  syllables, 

[29] 


10  Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 

the  other  three  seven,  and  is  the  poem  almost  always 
found  on  surimono.  Poems  are  often  inscribed  on 
fans  as  in  Fig.  5,  where  one  young  woman  meditates 
over  the  verse  which  she  has  written  on  a  fan.  A 
companion  seated  at  a  writing  table,  is  grinding  ink 
with  one  hand  and  holding  with  the  other  a  poem 
paper  (tanzaku).  Such  long  strips  are  to  be  seen  in 
many  houses  awaiting  the  New  Year's  inspiration. 
They  are  sometimes  tinted  to  a  soft  shade  or  orna- 
mented with  appropriate  New  Year's  flowers  or  with 
silver  clouds  as  in  this  case.  One  of  the  poems  ac- 
companying this  surimono  is  worthy  of  translation: 
"From  the  window,  lighting  the  brush  for  the  first 
writing,  the  plums'  fragrance  on  the  wind  is  blowing." 

On  the  first  day  of  the  year,  musicians  and  dan- 
cers proceed  from  house  to  house.  The  musician, 
wearing  a  flat  straw  hat  which  partially  covers  her 
face,  charms  away  birds  of  ill  omen  with  a  few  strains 
played  on  the  samisen.  The  dancers  are  either  those 
known  as  manzai  or  are  those  who  enact  the  lion 
dance,  a  performance  adopted  from  China.  (Costumes 
used  in  the  lion  dance  of  China  may  be  seen  in  Case  5, 
Hall  I,  ground  floor.)  With  the  majority  of  families 
much  of  the  day  is  spent  in  paying  visits  to  friends, 
at  which  times  it  is  customary  to  present  small  gifts, 
usually  of  trifling  value  such  as  conserves,  fruit,  fish, 
persimmons,  herring  roe,  bean-curd,  towels  and  sim- 
ilar articles.  Presents  are  either  placed  on  trays  in 
ceremonial  form  or  carefully  wrapped  in  paper  or 
silk  and  tied  with  red  and  white  cords. 

Accompanying  every  gift  there  is  always  a  quiver- 
shaped  envelope  of  folded  paper  called  noshi,  in  which 
is  inserted  a  strip  of  dried  haliotis  or  awabi.  This 
odd  custom,  like  so  many  others,  has  an  interesting 
significance.  The  strip  of  haliotis  is  symbolic  of 
long  life  and  durability  of  affection,   because  it  is 

[30] 


The  Japanese  New  Year's  Festival  11 

capable  of  being  stretched  to  great  length.  The  single 
shell  of  this  mollusk  also  suggests  singleness  of  affec- 
tion. In  the  ancient  days  when  Japan  was  a  nation 
of  fishermen,  a  piece  of  dried  awabi  was  indeed  a 
valuable  gift.  In  the  present  use  of  the  noshi  and 
awabi,  some  say  that  the  Japanese  would  recall  the 
primitive  days,  thereby  preserving  the  virtue  of  hu- 
mility. Another  conspicuous  object  which  is  usually 
in  evidence  at  New  Year's  is  the  small  treasure  boat 
(takarabune)  sometimes  made  of  straw  and  symbol- 
izing the  coming  of  the  "Seven  Gods  of  Good  Luck" 
Shichifukujin.  Pictures  of  takarabune  are  placed  be- 
neath the  pillow  with  the  wish  that  the  New  Year's 
dream  may  be  a  fortunate  one. 

No  work  is  done  on  the  first  day  of  the  festival, 
even  the  sweeping  of  the  house  is  omitted,  lest  some 
good  fortune  be  scattered  to  the  winds.  All  stores 
are  closed  to  regular  business.  On  the  second  day  a 
pretense  is  made  toward  returning  to  normal  life. 
The  musician  takes  out  his  instrument,  the  student 
looks  into  his  books,  the  artist  gets  out  his  brushes 
and  the  merchant  distributes  his  goods  from  gaily 
colored  handcarts.  The  storehouse  of  treasures  is 
opened  and  enjoyed  on  this  day  as  well,  rarely  on  the 
first  day  for  fear  good  fortune  and  wealth  should  flee 
away.  The  large  mirror  dumplings  are  taken  from 
the  ceremonial  stands  and  from  before  the  family 
shrine  on  the  fourth  day,  and  cut  into  small  pieces 
known  as  "teeth-strengtheners."  On  this  day  also, 
the  fire  brigades  of  Tokyo  march  in  procession  and 
perform  gymnastic  feats.  At  early  dawn  on  the  sev- 
enth day  the  master  of  the  house,  who  follows  the  old 
customs  closely,  arises  and  goes  to  the  kitchen  where 
he  washes  the  seven  spring  herbs  (nanakusa)  in  the 
first  water  drawn  from  the  well.  He  then  chops  them 
on  a  board,  moving  his  knife  in  time  with  a  certain 

[31] 


12  Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 

incantation  concerned  with  cheating  any  birds  of  ill 
omen  which  might  come  to  the  country.  The  chopped 
herbs  are  boiled  in  a  kind  of  rice  gruel  and  served 
with  ceremony  at  the  breakfast.  On  the  eleventh  day 
the  military  men  used  to  offer  mirror  dumplings  be- 
fore their  armor.  The  long  celebration  of  the  festival 
is  finally  brought  to  a  close  with  the  burning  of  the 
kado-niatsn  and  other  decorations  on  the  fourteenth 
or  fifteenth  day  of  the  first  month. 

GAMES  AND  PASTIMES 

Several  of  the  most  popular  games  of  Japan  are 
represented  on  surimono  and  only  those  games  will  be 
mentioned  herein.  To  those  who  would  study  the 
subject  exhaustively,  S.  Culin's  "Corean  Games"  is 
recommended.  With  the  possible  exception  of  chess 
(shogi) ,  no  game  is  more  widely  played  than  go,  which 
has  been  erroneously  identified  with  the  game  gobang, 
somewhat  similar  to  our  game  of  checkers.  Go,  a  far 
more  difficult  contest  than  that  European  game,  was 
introduced  into  Japan  from  China  in  the  eighth  cen- 
tury. For  generations  it  has  occupied  the  attention 
of  the  Japanese,  there  being  clubs  and  schools  devoted 
to  the  playing  of  go.  It  is  played  on  a  square,  raised 
wooden  board  on  which  nineteen  straight  lines  drawn 
from  one  side  to  the  other  of  the  board  cross  nineteen 
other  lines  drawn  at  right  angles,  making  three  hun- 
dred and  sixty-one  crosses  on  which  the  men  are 
placed.  One  hundred  and  eighty  white,  and  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty-one  black  stones,  are  used  in  the 
playing.  These  represent  respectively  day  and  night; 
the  crosses  represent  three  hundred  and  sixty  degrees 
of  latitude  and  the  central  intersection  stands  for  the 
primordial  principle  of  the  universe.  The  object  of 
the  game  is  to  capture  the  opponent's  pawns  by  en- 
closing at  least  three  crosses  around  his  stone,  and  to 

[32] 


THE  UQHW 
OF  THE 

o wEtanr  hf  ttinn 


*  o 


>  _: 
*| 

ox 

15 


Games  and  Pastimes  13 

cover  as  much  of  the  table  as  possible.  Military  men 
have  always  been  devotees  to  the  game  of  go,  seeing 
in  it  the  rudimentary  tactics  necessary  for  successful 
warfare. 

Juroku  musashi  ("sixteen  knights")  is  a  favor- 
ite New  Year's  game  which  is  illustrated  in  Fig.  6. 
It  is  played  on  a  board  divided  into  diagonally-cut 
squares.  One  player  holds  sixteen  round  paper  pawns 
representing  sixteen  knights;  the  opponent  has  but 
one  large  piece  known  as  the  general  (taisho)  which 
has  the  power  to  capture  enemy  pieces  when  they  are 
immediately  on  each  side  of  it  with  a  blank  space  be- 
yond. The  holder  of  the  smaller  pieces  seeks  to  com- 
pletely hedge  in  and  thereby  capture  the  big  piece. 

Sugoroku  ("double  sixes")  is  similar  to  the 
European  "race-game."  It  is  played  with  dice  and 
the  succeeding  spaces  on  the  board  generally  repre- 
sent the  stations  of  a  journey.  Brinkley,  in  his  Japan 
and  China  (Vol.  VI,  p.  56),  tells  us  that  this  game  was 
imported  from  India  in  the  eighth  century  and  was  at 
first  prohibited  on  account  of  its  gambling  character. 
Eventually  the  Buddhist  priests  took  it  up  and  con- 
verted it  into  an  instrument  for  inculcating  virtue  by 
making  the  spaces  on  the  board  represent  a  ladder  of 
moral  precepts  which  marked  the  path  to  victory. 
Sugoroku,  with  the  travel  board,  is  commonly  played 
by  children  at  New  Year's  time.  The  name  is  also 
given  to  the  more  difficult  game  of  backgammon  which 
may  be  studied  in  one  of  the  surimono  in  this  museum. 
The  board  on  which  the  game  is  being  played  is  now 
obsolete.  It  is  divided  longitudinally  into  two  fields 
with  an  intervening  space  between.  Each  field  has 
twelve  narrow  subdivisions  in  which  the  men  are 
placed. 

Games  of  cards  (karuta  from  the  Spanish  carta) 
are    altogether    different    from    the    European    card 

[33] 


14  Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 

games,  though  it  is  commonly  supposed,  on  account  of 
the  derivation  of  this  name,  that  card  playing  was  in- 
troduced in  the  sixteenth  century  by  Portuguese  trav- 
elers. It  is  interesting  to  note  here  that  card  playing 
was  known  in  China  in  the  twelfth  century.  It  would 
seem  that  Japan  must  have  made  her  first  contact 
with  the  game  through  a  source  other  than  Spain,  for 
the  majority  of  the  forms  and  methods  of  her  playing 
cards  in  no  way  reflect  European  influence.  The  fact 
that  cards  are  quite  often  called  fuda  ("ticket") 
would  also  add  in  casting  doubt  on  the  European 
origin.  The  hana-garuta  or  "flower  cards"  which  are 
widely  played  are  small  in  size,  black  on  the  backs  and 
adorned  on  the  face  with  flowers  and  emblems  belong- 
ing to  the  twelve  months.  A  set  comprises  forty- 
eight  cards  and  the  values  vary  from  one  to  twenty 
points.  The  game  consists  in  drawing,  playing  and 
matching  in  suits  or  in  groups. 

In  the  game  of  uta  garuta  ("poem  cards"),  there 
are  two  hundred  cards.  One  hundred  of  these  are 
decorated  with  portraits  of  poets  and  the  first  two 
lines  of  famous  classic  verses.  These  are  to  be 
matched  with  the  corresponding  hundred  on  which 
the  remaining  lines  of  the  poems  are  inscribed.  Of 
the  many  ways  of  playing  uta  garuta,  chirashi,  "spread 
out,"  is  the  most  exciting.  The  cards  bearing  the  last 
part  of  the  poems  are  laid  face  up  on  the  floor.  Those 
inscribed  with  the  first  lines  are  held  by  the  "reader," 
who  reads  them  aloud  one  by  one.  The  other  players 
strive  to  pick  up  the  corresponding  card  and  he  who 
at  the  last  holds  the  most  is  declared  winner. 

Somewhat  similar  to  uta  garuta  is  the  game  of 
kai  awase  ("shell  matching").  Three  hundred  and 
sixty  bivalve  shells  are  used  for  this  game.  The  two 
sides  are  separated  and  on  the  upper  half  is  painted 
a  portrait  of  a  poet,  on  the  mated  shell  are  the  lines 

[34] 


Games  and  Pastimes  15 

of  one  of  his  poems.  Other  sets  have  only  the  poems 
inscribed  within  them,  the  two  first  lines  being  on  one 
half  shell,  the  remaining  lines  on  the  other.  The 
shells  are  divided  among  the  players,  and  as  the  pic- 
tures or  first  lines  are  laid  upon  the  mats,  the  holder 
of  the  corresponding  poem  places  his  shell  near  it. 
Some  of  the  old  kai  awase  sets  were  of  great  beauty 
and  were  stored  in  circular  lacquer  cases  of  fine  work- 
manship. This  game  and  the  uta  garuta  naturally 
were  played  only  by  the  cultured  classes  and  were 
vehicles  for  the  learning  of  the  classics. 

In  addition  to  the  kites  and  battledores,  stilts  and 
hand  balls,  there  are  represented  in  this  selection  of 
surimono  other  toys  for  children  such  as  hobby  horses, 
dolls  of  paper,  swinging  bats  for  ball  playing,  archery 
outfits  and  the  amusements  afforded  by  caged  singing 
insects  and  trained  mice  and  monkeys.  The  older 
people  likewise  have  delightful  pastimes.  As  the 
season  advances  they  spend  much  time  in  enjoying 
nature,  the  viewing  of  blossoming  trees  and  plants, 
the  listening  to  singing  insects  in  the  evening,  and  the 
gathering  of  shells  and  shell  fish  at  ebb-tide  are  all 
occasions  of  organized  parties  in  which  men  as  well 
as  women  take  keen  pleasure.  A  series  of  five  suri- 
mono by  Kuniyoshi  realistically  portrays  the  joys  of 
an  ebb-tide  party. 

Most  of  the  musical  instruments,  which  both  men 
and  women  enjoy  playing,  are  importations  from 
China,  particularly  the  lyre  (koto),  the  violin  (kokyu) 
and  the  reed  organ  (sho).  The  samisen,  a  three- 
stringed  guitar,  is  the  popular  accompaniment  of  the 
singing  girl  or  geisha ;  the  koto  is  played  by  the  more 
aristocratic  women.  Drums  of  double  conical  form 
(tsuzumi)  are  to  be  seen  in  the  hands  of  both  men  and 
women.  Flutes  have  long  been  popular  with  men  of 
all  classes,  the  wandering  minstrel,  the  court  musician 

[36] 


16  Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 

and  even  the  courtier  himself  who  delighted  to  match 
the  softness  of  his  flute  tone  with  the  gentle  light  of 
the  moon,  or  with  the  voice  of  the  harbinger  of  spring 
as  evidenced  by  the  poem  on  Fig.  7  which  reads: 
"Like  the  nightingale's  voice  above  the  clouds,  hazed 
over  by  the  mist,  the  flute  contains  sweetness." 

Even  more  aesthetic  than  the  enjoyment  of  music 
are  the  arts  of  the  ceremonial  tea  (cha  no  yu,  "hot- 
water-tea")  and  that  of  flower  arrangement  {ike- 
band),  both  of  which  up  to  a  short  time  ago  were 
thought  to  be  necessary  acquirements  for  the  culti- 
vated classes.  To  each  of  these  sciences  many  schools 
were  devoted.  Only  the  barest  sketch  can  here  be 
given  of  these  subjects  to  which  volumes  have  been  de- 
voted. The  tea-ceremony  to-day  is  rigorously  outlined 
by  complicated  rules  as  to  utensils,  order  of  procedure 
and  even  as  to  the  subjects  of  conversation  indulged 
in  while  in  the  tea  room. 

Tea  drinking  was  introduced  from  China  in  the 
ninth  century  and  at  first  was  practised  by  the  Budd- 
hist priests  for  medicinal  purposes  and  especially  as 
a  means  of  keeping  awake  during  meditations.  In  the 
fifteenth  century  meetings  for  tea  drinking  were  held 
in  groves  and  gardens.  In  an  adjoining  tea  house  pic- 
tures were  shown  on  these  occasions  which  were 
mainly  Buddhistic  in  subject,  and  most  of  them  of 
Chinese  origin.  Under  the  great  tea-master  Rikyu 
(sixteenth  century)  the  rules  of  cha  no  yu  were  re- 
written. From  this  time  on  the  ceremony  was  per- 
formed in  a  small  house  with  a  low  door  through 
which  the  few  guests  would  have  to  prostrate  them- 
selves for  entrance.  The  most  characteristic  traits 
of  these  gatherings  were  a  close  sympathy  with  nature 
and  a  love  of  simplicity  almost  amounting  to  rugged- 
ness  as  expressed  in  the  tea  bowls  often  partially 
glazed.     Restraint  was  likewise  displayed  in  the  dec- 

[36] 


THE  MBHABY 

OF  THE 

wnam  Mffliaoa 


11 

<  o 

IE    Z 
CC    * 

<  z 


5  >- 

i< 
o 

> 


*!F^ 


C!J 

z  _• 


5  £ 


44-s-c^j^*'^ 


Games  and  Pastimes  17 

orations  of  the  room,  a  simple  bamboo  flower  holder 
was  preferred  to  the  bronze  vase,  and  a  hanging  pic- 
ture (kakemono)  was  chosen  which  would  make  an 
equally  quiet  appeal,  such  as  a  branch  in  the  wind  or 
an  example  of  fine  caligraphy.  The  occasion  became 
a  time  in  which  to  worship  purity  and  refinement. 

Like  the  tea  ceremony,  the  art  of  flower  arrange- 
ment (ikebana)  developed  into  a  philosophy  under  the 
patronage  of  the  shogun  Yoshimasa  in  the  fifteenth 
century.  For  several  centuries  it  has  been  studied  and 
cultivated  as  a  refined  accomplishment.  Miss  Averill 
in  "Japanese  Flower  Arrangement"  tells  us  that  many 
of  Japan's  most  celebrated  generals  have  been  masters 
of  this  art,  finding  that  it  calmed  their  minds  and 
made  clear  their  decisions  for  the  field  of  action.  All 
of  the  schools  of  ikebana,  with  one  exception,  are 
founded  on  the  same  principles.  The  underlying  idea 
is  to  reproduce  in  the  arrangement  the  effect  of  grow- 
ing plants  and  to  preserve  for  as  long  a  time  as  pos- 
sible the  life  of  the  plants.  Arrangements  aim  to 
reflect  the  season  or  the  occasion.  When  high  winds 
prevail  in  March,  branches  with  unusual  curves  are 
selected  and  so  placed  as  to  suggest  strong  breezes. 
Certain  colors  are  considered  unlucky  for  certain  oc- 
casions, for  example,  red  suggesting  flames  is  inappro- 
priate for  house  warmings,  when  white  would  be  the 
desirable  color  in  that  it  suggests  water  to  quench  the 
fire.  An  uneven  number  of  flowers  are  considered 
lucky  and  also  much  more  suggestive  of  the  processes 
of  nature,  where  there  is  seldom  found  perfect  sym- 
metry and  actual  balance.  In  the  arrangements  of  the 
later  schools  there  are  always  represented  three  prin- 
ciples known  in  the  different  groups  by  diverse  names : 
"Heaven,  Man  and  Earth;"  "Earth,  Air  and  Water;" 
or  "Father,  Mother  and  Child."  The  three  main 
sprays  of  an  arrangement  represent  in  their  directions 

[37] 


18  Field  Museum  of  Natural  History 

of  growth  these  three  principles,  and  are  designated: 
"standing,  growing,  running."  Subsidiary  branches  in 
the  selection  are  called  attributes.  As  may  be  seen  in 
Fig.  8,  an  arrangement  is  first  composed  in  the  hands, 
care  being  taken  that  all  branches  be  kept  close  to- 
gether at  the  base  so  as  to  form  "the  parent  stalk". 
The  young  man  in  the  picture  holds  in  his  mouth  a 
support  for  bracing  the  flowers  in  the  bronze  vase,  on 
the  floor  are  scissors.  A  woman  is  approaching  with  a 
waterpot.  Such  a  refined  pastime  as  ikebana  is  pri- 
marily intended  to  entertain  visitors  who  may  con- 
template the  finished  arrangement  as  it  is  set  up  in 
the  raised  portion  (tokonoma)  of  the  main  room. 

Helen  C.  Gunsaulus 


[38] 


